Cloud Strife is one of the heroes fighting for the side of Cosmos in Dissidia Final Fantasy. An acerbic young swordsman with glowing eyes, he wields a blade as large as he is, dealing powerful attacks that send his foes flying. Though considered composed in the eyes of his comrades, Cloud often questions the reasons and methods for fighting, as well as the purposes that it would serve, and struggles to understand them. During the war he is also forced to battle his nemesis, Sephiroth, who manipulates him into fighting at every turn.

Contents

Crystal & Attire

Cloud's costume in Dissidia is identical to his original Final Fantasy VII costume. He wears a navy blue outfit, a metal pauldron from which bolts stick out, a brown belt with the SOLDIER symbol on it, brown gloves and harness, and black boots. His hair is spiky and blonde and his eyes are a glowing blue, the sign of a Mako-infused SOLDIER. He carries the Buster Sword, which was given to him by his best friend Zack. It transforms into the Ultima Weapon when he enters EX Mode.

Cloud's alternate costume is his outfit from Advent Children, along with the main blade of the Fusion Swords as his weapon, and the completed assembly (six swords interlocked together) for his EX Mode. He now wears a front zip sleeveless turtleneck sweater, sports his compilation hairstyle (with more streamlined spikes), a black half-cloak covering his left leg, different black boots, a new pauldron with a Fenrir motif in front, and a single sleeve covering his left arm, originally worn to hide his Geostigma infection. His Manikin version, Imaginary Soldier, is light blue.

Story

Destiny Odyssey

After a battle through Chaos' forces, Cloud finds himself with Firion, Cecil, and Tidus, who view him as a calm and collected figure. However, Cloud secretly questions his reasons for fighting and admits he feels anxious. Cloud later asks his allies why they fight; Cecil says he doesn't know either, Tidus says he fights to settle things with Jecht, while Firion takes time to think his answer over so he can explain it to Cloud properly.

Cloud faces Sephiroth

Sometime after, Cloud finds Firion alone and Firion produces a wild rose, and tells Cloud he dreams of a world where they can bloom freely. Cloud challenges him to a sparring match to see how strong that dream is, and though he prevails Firion still has the will to fight him further. Cloud grows increasingly worried that he may not have a dream at all and confides in Cecil for answers. The group encourage Cloud to go find his own reason for fighting, and he promises to return to tell them when he finds it. Continuing alone, he encounters Sephiroth, who prepares to duel him. When Cloud refuses to fight him, Sephiroth reveals to Cloud that he holds Firion's rose, indicating that he has attacked Cloud's comrades, and invites Cloud to pursue him.

Cloud tracks Sephiroth to the Planet's Core, where Sephiroth calls him a puppet who has no motivations of his own, which is why he readily accepts the influence of others on his decisions. Though Cloud insists he tracked Sephiroth of his own will, Sephiroth counters that Cloud followed him because he gave him a reason. The two battle, and Cloud emerges victorious, reclaiming Firion's rose and revealing his Crystal. Sephiroth warns Cloud that the Crystal will lead him into more battles he cannot comprehend, a fate Cloud accepts stoically before taking the Crystal. Sephiroth accepts Cloud's decision, but declares he will continue to manipulate Cloud, and it was only through his guidance that Cloud was able to come as far as he has.

Cloud explains Firion's dream to Terra

After his fight with Sephiroth, Terra arrives at the Planet's Core and begins to lose control of her Esper powers. Cloud walks in on her and looks on, and even though she warns him to stay away, not knowing what else to do, Cloud decides to step in and battle her without a word of explanation, forcing Terra to fight, where she defeats him. After the altercation, Terra realizes that his intent was to provide her an outlet to vent some of her power, allowing Terra to regain control. Cloud admits he battled her because he didn't want to see her suffer, although he wasn't expecting Terra's formidable transformed state. Terra proceeds to explain how she and the Onion Knight were separated after being ambushed by Kefka, and Cloud joins her to look for him, realizing that he can still help despite his indecisiveness, and thanks her for helping him recognize that.

Cloud asking the other heroes what they are fighting for

During the search, Cloud reveals that he also has hesitations about fighting, and shows Terra Firion's rose, explaining Firion's dream for a peaceful world. Though neither warrior can figure out their own reason for fighting, Terra suggested that they should share the same dream, along with the wild roses their own preferred flowers representing a bright future. The pair continues to Kefka's Tower and confront Kefka, who tries to compel Terra to give in to her Esper powers once again and cause senseless destruction, but she refuses. Kefka then summons the Cloud of Darkness to attack them, at which point the Onion Knight reappears, and he and Cloud together fight the Cloud of Darkness while Terra has her final showdown with Kefka. After Terra obtains her Crystal, the three go on to rejoin the other Warriors.

Cloud and Tidus protect Firion from The Emperor

Much to Firion's surprise, Cloud, who arrived after helping Terra, and Tidus, who had just defeated Jecht, join him at the last minute when he is attacked by the Emperor, declaring that they could not leave him alone for too long and that they all share a dream. The Emperor attempts to attack Firion again, but Cloud and Tidus deflect his blows, and the Emperor then flees and invites Firion to his stronghold for a final battle. Firion decides to go face the Emperor alone in order to end this, and Cloud returns the Wild Rose to him, expressing his desire to see more of Firion's dream.

Shade Impulse

Cecil and Cloud holding their Crystals

With the Crystals in their possession, the Warriors of Cosmos return to the Order's Sanctuary in an effort to restore the goddess's strength, only to have Chaos incinerate her before their very eyes. But with the last of her strength, Cosmos prevents the heroes from fading back to their worlds, giving them one final chance to strike back at Chaos and end the war for good.

Cloud returns to his world with his crystal

With Cosmos' strength dwindling, Cloud and the others confront Chaos' minions regarding how and why Cosmos disappeared, and along the way, he faces his nemesis Sephiroth once again. Though his enemy is strong, Cloud perseveres and emerges victorious. After the battle, Sephiroth asks Cloud what drives him to fight, and Cloud simply answers that it was his own will. He further declares that he no longer has any ties with Sephiroth, who counters that his shadow will forever be in his heart, and that he will always return as long as Cloud exists. Upon his enemy vanishing, Cloud admits that he would rather see someone else. Shortly after that, he and the other nine heroes band together to defeat Chaos.

At the battle's end, Cloud finds himself on an open field near Cornelia Castle, along with the other nine Warriors, where they find each other parting ways to their respective worlds. Cloud declines Squall's offer of fighting together again, and walks off into a flower field, returning home with his Crystal in hand.

Battle

Cloud is described as a Buster Basher, and specializes in knocking away opponents with strong melee attacks. However, his ranged capabilities are highly limited. He also uses his Limit Breaks from Final Fantasy VII as HP attacks, with the exception of Blade Beam and Climhazzard, which are Brave attacks. Unfortunately, his ground speed leaves a lot to be desired, together with his friends Firion, Cecil, and Terra. Like the aformentioned three and Squall, he also has slow HP attacks, which leaves him open to counterattacks if he misses.

Cloud's EX Mode, Equipped Ultima Weapon, transforms the Buster Sword into the Ultima Weapon (in his alternate costume, his EX Mode is called The power of mako, or Power of Mako! in the PAL release, and he gains the fully assembled Fusion Swords), and grants the Regen status and causing Cloud's damage output to increase the higher his current HP is in relation to his max HP. All of Cloud's attacks also pierce guards, allowing him to cancel and/or deflect enemy attacks he normally cannot, and prevents his attacks from being blocked.

Cloud's EX Burst is Omnislash, his strongest Limit Break in Final Fantasy VII, where the player rapidly taps to completely fill up a Limit Break bar, allowing Cloud to bombard opponents with fourteen sword slashes leading up to a stronger fifteenth slash. Failing to follow the requirements will have Cloud doing fewer hits.

Gallery

CG Render

CG Render

Allusions

Several references are made to Zack Fair throughout the game, both in reference to the Buster Sword he gave Cloud, and to the optimistic and purpose-driven Firion, who Cloud states reminds him of "a friend." Another reference is in Destiny Odyssey VII-3, where Tidus calls the Buster Sword heavy (referring to its large size), to which Cloud replies, “It’s not heavy. It’s...a memento.” Lastly, Cloud casts his Fire spells and runs reminiscent to how Zack would in Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII.

During Shade Impulse, the world begins to rumble violently, prompting Cloud to ask if the world is crying. This is similar to a scene in Final Fantasy VII, where the "voice" of the Planet is heard by Cloud and Bugenhagen, after the latter says he can hear the Planet's cries.

Before returning to his world, Cloud stands in a field of flowers of the same colors that the ones Aerith used to grow in her church.

In the cutscene of Cloud's battle with Sephiroth in Destiny Odyssey VII, several scenes allude to other titles in the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII. The scene where Cloud crosses the Buster Sword over the Masamune is identical to part of Sephiroth's battle with Zack in Crisis Core. After being knocked back, Sephiroth rights himself and knocks Cloud through the air, a reference to their battle in Advent Children. Finally, as the two face off at the end of the scene, the camera angles and poses are identical to their scripted battle at the end of Final Fantasy VII.

Cloud's strongest weapon, Fenrir, is named after his motorcycle and the symbol on his pauldron. His other exclusive weapons, the Force Eater (also known as the Force Stealer) and the Butterfly Edge, are weapons he uses in Final Fantasy VII. Though at first their inclusion may seem random, if one examines the other weapons Cloud uses in the game, the Force Stealer and Butterfly Edge are among the few weapons Cloud uses that don't have analogues in any other games in the series.

If the player completes Chapter IV of Shade Impulse with Cloud, they will unlock a set of "Pretty Princess" equipment that female characters, as well as Cloud and Kefka, can equip. This is a reference to Cloud's infamous cross-dressing scene in Final Fantasy VII. The equipment set includes the best items in the sidequest, which results in Don Corneo picking Cloud over Tifa and Aerith, namely the Sexy Cologne (weapon), Member's Card (glove), Blonde Wig (helmet) and Silk Dress (armor). The combination that results in equipping all four items, Allure of Honey, is a reference to the Honeybee Inn.

After defeating Sephiroth in Destiny Odyssey VII-5, or when he wins a battle, Cloud states, “My reality is mine alone,” reminiscent of the dialogue he says after regaining his true memories.

Cloud's reply to Squall's line in the ending before disappearing is his usual, "Not interested" line, commonly said during the earlier stages of the game while he was still in his cold mercenary persona, and also said towards Rufus Shinra in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete. During a scene in Destiny Odyssey VII-V, Sephiroth also uses this line.

One of Cloud's Brave Attacks, Aerial Fang, slightly resembles a move he performed in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete when he sliced Loz's bike in half.

One of Cloud's victory quotes, "I will live your life for you," is a reference to Cloud being Zack's living legacy, as seen at the ending of Crisis Core.

One of Cloud's victory quotes, "I won't sleep well tonight", refers to a Crisis Core Mission cutscene, where Zack states his reason for sparing a Wutai soldier.

One of Cloud's opening quotes, "Do I feel sorry for you" is from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, when he comments on Rufus after Shinra Building was destroyed by Diamond Weapon.

Jecht's opening line in fighting Cloud, "You should sharpen that sword once in a while," traces back to Angeal's lack of use and Zack's prominent use of the Buster Sword.

In Destiny Odyssey VI, Cloud seems to open up to Terra more than anyone else; it is possible that Cloud sees a kindred spirit in her, as the two of them have had their minds manipulated by their foes in the past. Her half-Esper background and uncertain personality may also remind him of both Aerith (a half-Cetra) and Tifa Lockhart, his childhood friend.

When Tidus narrates his story to Squall and Cloud, Cloud says, "Guess what? The story continues," a reference to the quote at the end of Crisis Core: "To be continued in Final Fantasy VII," as well as to a similar sentiment expressed in Final Fantasy X that Tidus' story wasn't over yet.

Firion's dream of a world where wild roses can bloom—a world of peace and happiness— may be a reference to Aerith from Crisis Core, whose dream was to make the world happy with flowers.

Trivia

Cloud is the only character that has a different EX Mode for his two outfits: for his normal EX Mode "Equipped Ultima Weapon" he transforms the Buster Sword into the Ultima Weapon, while in his Advent Children outfit his EX Mode "The power of mako", turns the Main Blade of his Fusion Swords into the completed assembly.

Cloud, at 21 years of age, is presumably the oldest current Warrior of Cosmos, though the Warrior of Light and Firion - who have no explicit age - may be older than he is, and previous warriors Jecht and Shantotto were older when they aided Cosmos.

Cloud is storyline-wise the second character to gain his crystal, according to Destiny Odyssey 38.

Cloud, Terra, Squall, and the Onion Knight are the only ones who fight an ally (as opposed to or in addition to another villain) as a mid-boss. Cloud's mid-boss fight is against Firion, and Cloud himself is Terra's mid-boss fight in her story arc. This makes Cloud and Terra the only two heroes who both fight another hero as a mid-boss and be fought by another hero as such; Terra is fought by the Onion knight.

Cloud is the only character who is allied with two groups of heroes; he is first allied with Firion, Cecil, and Tidus, then goes on his own to defeat Sephiroth. Later, he joins up with Terra and the Onion Knight, and then returns to his original group.

Excluding Shantotto and Gabranth, Cloud and Terra were the last two characters confirmed for the main roster of characters; Sephiroth was confirmed before Cloud.

According to the game developers, Cloud's storyline is the easiest to play, and the character's abilities are the most suitable for "pick-up-and-play" game players.

Cloud's Buster Sword has no lines or indentations running across the blade as it is shown with in Crisis Core and Advent Children, instead having a smooth finish as it appeared in Final Fantasy VII.

Cloud and Squall are the only two heroes to openly challenge another hero in their story arcs, for a good reason. Cloud fights Firion to see the strength of his dream.

While performing his EX Burst, Cloud declares he's, "breaking [his] limits," a clear reference to the use of his Limit Break.

Cloud's dossier states that his hobbies are motorcycling, chocobo racing and snowboarding—all of which he does in the original game.

Cloud's EX Burst is the strongest in the game, assuming he has full HP when using it, but Shantotto's EX Burst usually overshadows it in terms of final output, due to her Manafont.